Marine Benthic Community Assembly Is Taxonomically Stochastic but Functionally Deterministic in a Dynamic Coastal Sea

Abstract

Understanding the balance between deterministic and stochastic processes in community assembly is crucial for interpreting ecological community dynamics. Moreover, it provides perspective for conservation and management actions, as deterministic processes can be subject to targeted interventions, but stochastic processes are less manageable. Through a spatially explicit macrozoobenthic monitoring campaign consisting of 1323 sampling locations in the Dutch Wadden Sea, we examined the relative importance of deterministic and stochastic processes, including the role of hydrodynamic disturbance gradients. We found species-based community assembly to be mainly driven by stochastic processes, while trait-based assembly was more deterministic and environmentally driven. Environmental disturbance levels minimally affected the relative importance of stochastic and deterministic processes. For coastal benthic ecosystems, we therefore recommend management actions to target specific desired functional groups rather than specific changes in community composition.